Will County backs the use of sharpshooters to help thin deer herds

September 09, 2010

Will County Forest Preserve District commissioners today backed using sharpshooters to help thin the deer herds at some of the district's preserves.

Forest preserve commissioner Kathleen Konicki, R-Homer Glen, cast the only no vote on the proposal. District officials expect to begin using sharpshooters later this year to reduce the growing number of deer at some of the preserves.

"No one wants to shoot Bambi," commissioner Walter Adamic said of the decision.

"The reason we have a large number of deer is because we have a lack of natural predators," Adamic added. "If there's something out of balance, that hurts other things. We need to do something."

Forest preserve officials have noted the deer population at some of its preserves has grown too large. The five preserves targeted, for example, have deer populations as high as 60 to 70 deer per square mile. As a general rule, the count should be closer to 20 deer per square mile for a herd to thrive. Under the district's deer culling program, sharpshooters will target 332-406 deer in five preserves.

Forest preserve officials said a deer management plan is necessary to help protect endangered species in the preserves and maintain habitat for other animals. Commissioners earlier this year started discussions on using sharpshooters and possibly opening up forest preserves to public hunting as a way to thin the deer population.

Sharpshooters could be used as early as November or December in five of the district's preserves, including Sandridge Savanna/Kankakee Sands, McKinley Woods, Lockport Prairie, Messenger Woods/Messenger Marsh and Goodenow Grove/Plum Valley. Shooting would be done at night and residents living near the preserves would be given advance notice, said Marcy DeMauro, forest preserve executive director.

Commissioners in June put off a decision on a deer culling proposal that called for the use of sharpshooters to kill about 400 deer because some members said they needed more information. The issue returned to the district's operations committee last week, when committee members unanimously voted to send the proposal back to the district's full board for a vote.

Konicki maintained her objections, calling for the forest preserve board to investigate the use of contraceptives to control the deer population. Konicki today tried to get Messenger Woods, a preserve in her district, off the list for deer culling. Other commissioners, however, did not back her request.

DeMauro said she will look into alternative methods, including contraceptives, this fall. However, officials noted the use of contraceptives in deer is not permitted in Illinois unless it is done as part of a research study with a partner agency, such as a university.